A Strong Start To 2019

I did this route counter-clockwise for my first ride of 2019.

West Bend had a sunny, 47° afternoon last Saturday and I took the road bike out for my first 34 miles of the new year. At 15.5 mph, my average speed was nothing special. But there was still plenty of snow, ice, and wetness to avoid. Wide, open roads were fine; narrow, tree-lined roads were not. Shade is not an ally at this time of year. I didn’t take any unnecessary risks. On a route that included more than 1,400 feet of climbing, I was especially careful on descents.

I wish the Eisenbahn State Trail had been available to me, but it was not. The paved sections in the city were wet and icy in some spots, and I knew the unpaved sections outside of town would be soft from melting snow. Today’s 40-something-degree rain is going to clear away much of what remains. On Tuesday, high winds and maybe some afternoon sunshine will dry things out, but then a big-time cold front arrives and we’ll be below freezing for the rest of the week. That doesn’t create any opportunities for me, but it should make for a super fast fatbike race at New Fane this Saturday, and I’ll be there to heckle friends and acquaintances with whom I assume too much familiarity.

In the meantime it’s back to the turbo trainer. I did indoor workouts on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Combined with my road ride, that was 5+ hours of training in the first week of 2019. It’s not very structured at this early stage, but it’s a good start. And my commitment is high. I expect my 2019 racing season to begin in May—last year it began in August—so I need to be fit sooner.

Right now my weight is exactly where it was in early January 2018. That’s 6 pounds below last winter’s offseason peak, so I’ll be ahead of the game if I can maintain the status quo, and really ahead if I can lose a few pounds before a regular schedule of outdoor rides resumes in March or April.